Secrets and Lies (phase two)

by keithsterling

chapter 15

January 22, 2026, 2000 hrs Equestria Standard time, landing leading to Palace garden grand hall, Old Grand Royal Palace, Capital City of Canterlot, Solar Empire.

After talking with Princess Twilight Sparkle for sometime Emperor Justice Silverlight makes his way back to Grand Hall to talk with Princess Cadence Sparkle.

Along the way leaning against a window frame sipping cold apple cider from champagne flute was stunning looking 6ft 12in dim gray Pegasus mare anthro with a charcoal gray mane and tail. Her very physically fit pegasi body was encased in navy blue full dress skirt uniform of a mare soldier in Solar Empire military and shiny black high heel pumps. On top, her head between her ears was a navy blue peaked cap. This Pegasi mare was Captain Erato Aureola the new commander of Justice's Storm Chaser Squadron, an Elite Solar Guard recon unit made up of Pegasus ponies.

"Erato." Justice said stopping in front of the window.

"Huh?" Erato exclaims the heels of her pumps clicked loudly on the tile floor of the hallway as she walked up to Justice.

"Yes, Justice?" Erato asked as she does a shallow military curtsy to him.

"I have a nighttime reconnaissance mission for you and Urania to do." Justice comments as Erato nods her as she follows Justice further down the hall to find Urania.

Not too far away leaning against another window frame sipping cold apple cider from champagne flute was lovely looking 6ft 2in Spanish gray hybrid bat pony mare anthro with onyx black colored mane and tail. Her athletic hybrid bat pony figure was encased in navy blue full dress skirt uniform of a mare soldier in Solar Empire military and shiny black high heel pumps. On top, her head between her ears was Solar Empire peaked cap. This hybrid bat pony mare was Captain Urania Corona the commander of Justice's Midnight Squadron, an Elite Solar Guard recon unit made up of bat ponies.

"Urania." Justice said stopping in front of the windows.

"Yes, Justice?" Urania replies as she does a shallow military curtsy to him.

"I have a nighttime mission for you two. I am planning a covert visit to the Friendship Kingdom to investigate these claims for Princess Twilight Sparkle. But no other land must know this. I need you two to find a route to the Friendship Kingdom that will not be too suspicious." Justice explains as the three discussion the nighttime mission.

After finishing the discussion with Erato and Urania about the nighttime reconnaissance mission, Justice continues on his way to the garden to talk with his niece Princess Cadence Sparkle and get her take on this war between the Friendship Kingdom and Crystal Empire. As Justice's looks through opening still standing on the landing shivering a bit from the cold was Cadence. Using his Imperator Alicorn creation magic ability he creates a fur-lined cape for Cadence.

"This should warm you up niece," Justice said caring as he places the warm cape on Cadence's shoulders. At which time she tied the long cordage around her neck into a bow and pulled it around her.

"Thank you, uncle. I feel a bit warmer now." Cadence said as she turns around and broke down in tears; rest her head on her uncle's chest as tears run down her cheeks.

"Uncle, how can I make this hurting stop? She betrayed me I sat her as a filly. I loved her like a sister. I married her brother Shining Armor but still, she betrayed me by firing on my Crystal City. I just want to rip my heart out of my chest, so I don't feel any pain or sadness." Cadence voice a lifeless monotone as Justice reaches into her dress and rip the gold heart-shaped locket off her neck and pretend to toss it away.

"Uncle, why did you toss my locket away? my most treasured possession. Now I feel like all my love is gone." Cadence said with a hitch in her voice as she dissolves into tears.

"I gave the heart-shaped locket to a pony who understood the power of love. No matter how much pain or sadness she had her heart remain filled with love the heart-shaped locket was meant to remind her how strong her heart is," Justice explains as Cadence regards with open fondness her uncle. Slowly the locket reappeared in the palm of Justice's hand fixed shining brilliantly as ever. Cadence reaches for the locket and takes it before put it back around her neck.

"Once again uncle, you have taught this Princess of Love a valuable lesson about the true power of love, I am supposed to be the teacher of the power of love, but in reality, you are the real teacher of the power of Love," Cadence said a bit embarrassed with her lack of insight into the true power of love.

"Cheer up niece; you are the True Master of Love. I am simply a student of it. Sometime you must be reminded of what love means. Shall we take a walk in the garden niece we have much to talk about?" Justice comment as Cadence shook her head and two Alicorns enter the palace garden and walk.

(An hour later)

At the center of the garden Cadence takes a seat on the edge of a marble fountain with the sun and moon mark on it. As the high heel pumps, she was wearing with her evening gown was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable upon her feet. She so wanted to tear her pumps off her feet and go barefooted, but a proper princess would never do such a thing.

"Cadence be honest with me, How do you feel about this war with your sister-in-law Twilight?" Justice asked caring as he reaches out and pads back of Cadence's hand with his.

"It really hurts, uncle. I watch Twilight grow-up went I was her foal-sitter. I watch her ascend to the rank of an Alicorn Princess. She saves me from evil creature name Queen Chrysalis on my wedding day to her brother Shining Armor there so many wonderful memories with her, But?" Cadence voice quavering as she spoke with some trepidation hidden under a serene and untroubled persona.

"But what Cadence?" Justice asks with some insistence on his face.

"All right uncle you ask me how I feel about this war with the Friendship Kingdom. How I feel is inconsequential to the feelings of my subjects. I am the Monarch of the Crystal Empire and the Guardian of Crystal Pony Kind. I follow the will of my subjects. Those subjects are calling for the head of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Her impromptu attack on my Crystal City reawakens the old scars of enslavement under King Sombra's rule." Cadence explains as she takes a deep breath before continuing.

"A dark chapter in the history of my Crystal Empire because of that I was forced to drop my last name of 'Sparkle' to preserve my reign as the Monarch of the Crystal Empire. I now go by the name Princess Cadence Silverlight (Justice's jaw drops) My name change has caused some friction between me and Shining Armor. Because he refuses to give up his last name. Now whole Crystal Pony population look at him suspiciously because of Princess Twilight attack on them." Cadence explains as she feels as heavyweight has been lifted off her.

"As we always treat you like a member of our family even those you are adopted. Why Silverlight?" Justice inquiry wondering as he looked over to Cadence. Who had a huge smile on her snout?

"Your family name, uncle, carries a lot of respect in the Crystal Empire because of your youngest daughter Solar Princess Blueberry Swirl Silverlight went something bad happens in Crystal Empire she first on the scene to render medical care to the injured or comfort, someone. She carries inside her the very embodiment of the power of love." Cadence explains as hugs her uncle to thank him for talking with her and lifted a weight off her.

After hugging his adopted niece Cadence Silverlight and watching her exit the palace garden by way of one of the many side exits back into the Old Grand Royal Palace. Justice made his way back to Grand hall waiting for him on the landing, outside the grand hall wrap up in fur-lined cape as she promised was his wife Empress Celestia. He walks up to her hugs her and kisses her on her lips.

As the two monarchs of the Solar Empire reenter the Grand hall of the palace, the heels on both their shoes clicked loudly on the tile floor of the deserted hall. The clicking is soon interrupted by the unlatching of a huge door leading into the endless palace corridors of this grand residence. In the corridors, the clicking of heels is not as pronounced as they stroll down a cushy carpet runner in the middle of the corridor. At a certain small door in the hallway Justice once again unlatches the door and opens it for his wife to enter first.

With a gracious smile on her snout, Celestia gracefully walks into the small sitting room as Justice flick on the lights in the room. She maneuvers her way over to the far end of Kennesaw sofa and plops down on it. She soon reaches up and removes all her imperial regalia from her body and rests them on the small coffee table next to her. She can help but blush as her husband gently rest her plush feet on his lap.

The sucking sounds of her pumps being removed from her bare long, wide and thick plushy white feet causes her to giggle endlessly. With her feet finally liberated from her pumps. Justice takes the time to admire the dark red nail polish upon his wife's shapely and perfect not to long toes. Before he begins to knead the soreness out of her fairly large white pristine feet, the massage causes Celestia to unleash an audible sigh of relief. She sometimes feels guilty or is taking advantage of her husband's good nature when he does some like this for her.

'I love him so much he will never really know how much he means to the life of this immortal Alicorn with him being an immortal Alicorn like me. I am looking forward to eternity in his arms.' Celestia thought as she played with the gold heart-shaped locket around her neck with their wedding photo in it.

"Celestia, should I tell you what I found out from Twilight and Cadence?" Justice asked as he started working on her puffy balls of her feet. The sudden question snaps her out of her love induced daydreaming.

"Ahem, yes Justice what did you learn?" Celestia exclaimed trying to sound like she was paying attention and not daydreaming.

"EEK!" Celestia exclaimed as Justice tickled the intersection between the middle and deep-set arch of her foot. To teach her a lesson like a miss behaving school-age filly. Celestia fakes a scowled at him. He stops massaging her feet and stretches over to her and planted a kiss on her lips again, once again she blushed.

"That me saying I am sorry for tickling you, Celestia. Is all-forgiving my beloved?" Justice asks as Celestia giggle like a school-age filly.

"All will be forgiving went you continue massaging the soreness out of my feet," Celestia comments as Justice went back to work on her feet.

"Yes, My princess," Justice said obediently.

"All kidding aside, Justice. Let talk about what you learn from Twilight and Cadence." Celestia said serene and untroubled as she gently retracted her long legs from his lap and sat on them. Before continuing with the conversation she reaches over and kisses him on his cheek to thank him for the foot massage he gave her.

"Let started with Twilight, Justice. She was my faithful student and I am the most worried about her." Celestia asked as Justice's face pales, this caused Celestia's ears to begin to droop on top of her head.

"Twilight told me in her memories she sees herself doing the broadcast. Pressing the launch button she now wonders, if she the one who did the deed. Not Harmonia she also tells me the rest of the Friendship Assembly are having similar memories of the attack on the Crystal Empire," Justice explains as dark shadows form around her eyes, she kneels on the ground in front of Justice with her arms wrap around him and her face buried in his chest crying.

"Justice please ease my pain-filled heart, tell me that you have the ability to implant false memories into the mind of the Terran pony. so Twilight is not the villain here." Celestia's voice is wooden and distant as she hopes against hopes that Justice would acknowledge that his species has that ability.

"I am sorry Celestia but my species doesn't have that ability. The all mother would never give her children that ability. (catching Celestia wrists with his hands before she can strike him for lying) Have I ever lied to you Celestia? Since I have known you?" Justice inquiry as Celestia shook her head 'no' and he releases her wrists. A moment later he kneels on the ground in front of her, she wraps her wings and arms around him and resumes crying. As she known Justice would never lie to her, his loyalty to her is unquestionable.

Meanwhile outside the door listening to his mother and father's conversation was Solar Prince Somnus Silverlight. To slip away from the door unheard Somnus quickly removed his dress boots and headed back to Luna's old bedchamber in the private living area of the palace in his stocking feet. In her old bedchamber, Luna was about to turn in for the night after changing into her most comfortable set of pajamas. Suddenly the doors into her bedchamber bursts open and she in the air like a shot; the last assassination attempt has her still a bit spooked.

"Huh? Auntie where are you?" Somnus calls looking all around the room for her.

"Up here Somnus." Luna answer as Somnus looks toward the ceiling and see his auntie press against the roof of her bedchamber.

"What are you doing up there, Auntie?" Somnus inquiry as Luna looks toward her nephew annoyingly with his question.

She quickly calms herself and flapped her wings on her back and lands back on the ground.

"Never mind that, why did you burst into my bedchamber?" Luna inquired sitting down on edge of her bed.

"That attack on the Crystal Empire might not have been done by the splinter group using a Twilight image to frame her. She might have done it herself." Somnus said shocked as Luna's face glazed with shock.

"Somnus! Do you know what you are saying accusing young Twilight of intentionally attacking Princess Cadence Sparkle and her Crystal Empire. That is high treason under Equestria law! You better have evidence to back up that accusation or you will be facing severe consequences from me!" Luna said threatening as sickening wave of terror well up from Somnus's belly. Knowing his auntie doesn't make idle punishment threats even to her own blood.

"All I can tell you, Auntie, father and mother know about those accusations. Please don't punish me, Auntie." Somnus said begging holding tightly to Luna's large plush and smooth dark blue barefoot with both hands fearful, pleading to her sense of family ties.

"What????" Luna said surprised as she reaches down and brought Somnus' onto his knees. She quickly calmed Somnus' fears and reassures him if he tells her everything he know. She will reprimand him for the transgression and not severely punish him. With that Somnus tells Luna everything he overheard from his parent's conversation about Twilight. Went he finishes she taps her fingernail on her chin.

"I was planning for both of us to leave tomorrow morning. but with this new development, I think a few more days in the Solar Empire is required," Luna comments walking over to the stone bust of unicorn and looks at her black tiara and black collar.

"You remember how to serve royalty, my faithful knight?" Luna inquiry politely looking over toward Somnus who was on his feet and quickly bows to her.

"Yes, Your highness," Somnus answers bowing his head in respect.

"Very good, my faithful knight. Return to my room in the morning. choose the gown I will wear that day and set my silver sandals out for me. Went I get done showering, I will get dressed, why I am getting a ready. Shine up my tiara and collar understood, my faithful knight." Luna explains as Somnus kiss back of her hand, causing Luna to blush a bit.